Revealing identity of rape survivor: court sends YouTuber Rahul Easwar in police custody

Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Elsa Catherine George on Wednesday remanded YouTuber Rahul Easwar in police custody until Thursday. The Thiruvananthapuram Cyber police had arrested Mr. Easwar last week on charges of revealing the identity of the woman complainant in the rape and coerced termination of pregnancy case against Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil.

Mr. Easwar is the fifth accused in the case. The other accused are Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) general secretary Sandeep Varier, Mahila Congress Pathanamthitta district general secretary Renjitha Pulickan and lawyer Deepa Joseph.

The Principal Sessions Judge, Thiruvananthapuram, has posted Mr. Varier’s anticipatory bail plea for further hearing on November 15. 

The cyber police are reportedly poised to indict additional persons in the case, most of whom are hitherto unidentified vocal social media supporters of Mr. Mamkootathil.

The police produced Mr. Easwar in court on Wednesday after a mandatory medical examination at the General Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram. Speaking to reporters, he hailed the verdict acquitting actor Dileep in the 2017 actor rape case and told reporters that he was the victim of a political witch-hunt for championing the rights of wrongly accused men. Mr. Easwar said he had abandoned his hunger strike in prison on the advice of doctors. 

‘Uncooperative’

The prosecution has moved the court for Mr. Easwar’s custody for a second time in the past 11 days. The State-side accused Mr. Easwar of being uncooperative and reluctant to disclose the password of the digital devices, including mobile phones and laptops, used for the crime.

The police accused him of identifying and defaming the survivor, repeatedly outraging her modesty in the public domain to criminally intimidate her and dissuade her from pressing charges against Mr. Mamkootathil. The prosecution argued that Mr. Easwar’s social media handles had exposed the survivor to vicious attacks on social media, and the YouTuber had allegedly made sexually coloured remarks against her to slur the complainant’s moral character and integrity. The prosecution also argued that enlarging the suspect on bail would impede the course of the investigation and open the window for evidence tampering and further intimidation of the survivor. 

Moreover, the police claimed that they required Mr. Easwar’s custody to confiscate “concealed digital devices” involved in the crime. Investigators told the court that Mr. Easwar’s presence at the scenes of crime, including residence and office, was essential for garnering evidence.